Rock in Vaduz

Vaduz is a neat village masquerading as a capital city and I stayed a night while hopping between Austria & Switzerland. Pricey business hotels lined the main street but cheaper accommodation lay just outside the centre and I was drawn in by a tall brick B&B sporting a wall of blinking flashbulbs. The manager of the pension was a little unwelcoming; “Rock band” he said glumly, and pointed to the floor.

Steps led down from the lobby to a door marked “DISCO BAR”. I asked for a top floor bedroom but still the percussion rattled my shutters. I couldn’t beat the noise so I joined it. Who knew Liechtenstein had an alternative rock scene? Well here it was, squashed loud & sweaty into the basement of my pension. Pierced Goths, tattooed metalheads and, incongruously, a smartly dressed 50 something couple were all shoehorned into this tight space.

A band, sounding like a Germanic Black Sabbath played forever. The singer wrapped himself around the microphone as the band ran through the usual rock clichés. They even had a stage-diver although there’s little danger in leaping from a foot high stage onto an empty dancefloor. After four unearned encores the band shuffled off. “Goodnight, Vaduz!” shouted the singer swaggering off in leather trousers and sunglasses. He headed directly over to the 50 somethings and gave them both a kiss, blowing his cool somewhat as they turned out to be his parents.